Spring is here! The strawberries in the south are in full bloom, and in a few weeks, our strawberries in the north will soon be ready to pick.

Canning jam is a greater starter recipe to introduce you to canning.

If you have always wanted to given canning a try, now is the time! Strawberry jam is one of the easiest things to can, and the majority of the items that you need are right in your own kitchen. Of course, there are a few items that would make your canning experience much better — see ‘The Must Haves’ For Canning article we did a while back.

Although our most popular recipe is a jam recipe that uses no refined white sugar (Strawberry Honey Jam), many readers have asked us to post a traditional jam recipe, like Grandma used to make. This recipe is very similar to the one my Grandma canned every year, with one small addition – half of a vanilla bean. Of course, you can always exclude the vanilla to make old-fashioned strawberry jam.

Traditional Strawberry Vanilla Jam

*makes approximately 8 half-pint jars

I prefer to crush the strawberries once I place them in the pot – less mess to clean up later!